About the dataset

Primary description: Alzheimer’s disease and aging

The Australian Imaging, Biomarker, and Lifestyle (AIBL) study began in Perth and Melbourne, Australia between 2006-2008, as a longitudinal prospective research study of Alzheimer’s Disease led by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific Industrial and Research Organization (CSIRO). AIBL study enrolled 1,112 participants above the age of 60, with Alzheimer’s Disease (20%), Mild Cognitive Impairment (10%), and healthy controls (70%). The first assessment included cognitive testing, blood collection, and health and lifestyle questionnaires. MRI and PET neuroimaging using the Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) tracer were initially acquired in only 287 AIBL participants. Following longitudinal assessments, occurring at 18-month intervals, have added neuroimaging to all participants and CSF collection for analysis of biomarkers. The cognitive assessment in AIBL was designed to cover main domains of cognition affected by Alzheimer’s disease. This 90-minute assessment was conducted in-clinic by trained staff, most of whom were neuropsychologists. A part of the data has been made publicly available via [https://aibl.csiro.au/adni/index.html].
Study Australian Imaging, Biomarkers & Lifestyle Study of Ageing
Study Website AIBL
Data Descriptor Paper https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19470201/
DUA https://ida.loni.usc.edu/collaboration/access/appApply.jsp?project=AIBL. If the link doesn't work, search Google for "AIBL Data Use Agreement".
Country/Region Australia
Disease Tag alzheimers;aging
Age (mean ± SD)
(Baseline) 		73.0 ± 6.7
Age Range
(Baseline) 		41.6-96
% Female 56.1
CUBIC Project /cbica/projects/AIBL
PI for CUBIC Access Approval Christos Davatzikos
N Subjects 976
N MR Sessions 1981
Diagnoses
AD
Value V01 V02 V03 V04 V05 V06 V07
CN 712 371 200 104 72 48 15
MCI 128 46 31 14 10 3
AD 92 36 20 9 6 2
nan 41 7 3 1
dementia 1 1
Vascular Dementia 1 1 1
Hypertension
Value V01 V02 V03 V04 V05 V06 V07
Stage2 476 260 145 68 52 38 13
nan 195 64 31 14 7 1
Normal 169 68 37 25 21 12 1
Stage1 133 69 43 21 8 4 1
Diabetes
Value V01 V02 V03 V04 V05 V06 V07
Normal 801 401 216 106 78 47 15
Prediabetic 76 23 19 9 4
Diabetic 69 29 13 9 3 6
nan 27 8 8 4 3 2
Depression
Value V01 V02 V03 V04 V05 V06 V07
nan 965 451 244 111 75 44 11
Negative/absent 8 9 11 14 11 11 4
Positive/present 1 1 3 2
Hyperlipidemia
Value V01 V02 V03 V04 V05 V06 V07
nan 970 458 252 111 75 44 11
Positive/present 3 1 2 9 6 7 2
Negative/absent 2 2 8 7 4 2
TBI
Value V01 V02 V03 V04 V05 V06 V07
nan 972 461 255 125 88 54 15
serious head injury 1 1 3 1
Anxiety
Value V01 V02 V03 V04 V05 V06 V07
nan 965 451 244 111 75 44 11
Negative/absent 7 9 12 16 12 11 4
Positive/present 1 1 1 1
DLMUSE (v1.0.7)
(1979/1979 complete)
/cbica/projects/AIBL/Pipelines/AIBL_DLMUSE_2025/Results/DLMUSE_Volumes.csv
RAVENS (DRAMMS-1.4.1)
(1979/1979 complete)
/cbica/projects/AIBL/Pipelines/AIBL_3.5D_DLICV_MASK_2022/Protocols/RAVENS
DLWMLS (v0.1.0)
(1265/1265 complete)
/cbica/projects/AIBL/Pipelines/AIBL_DLWMLS_2025/Results/AIBL_DLWMLS_DLMUSE_Segmented_Volumes.csv
Non-Imaging Data
/cbica/projects/ISTAGING/Pipelines/ClinicalDataConsolidation_201911/Data/External_Data/AIBL

Raw data downloaded from source.

/cbica/projects/ISTAGING/Pipelines/ClinicalDataConsolidation_201911/dictionaries/AIBL/PAC_AIBL_Data_Dictionary_Reorganized_20200901.csv

Data dictionary of raw data downloaded from source.

/cbica/projects/ISTAGING/Pipelines/ISTAGING_Data_Consolidation_2020/v2.0/istaging.csv

Data consolidated and harmonized in 2020.

This study: subset with df[df.Study == 'AIBL']

README: /cbica/projects/ISTAGING/Pipelines/ISTAGING_Data_Consolidation_2020/v2.0/README.md

Release Notes: /cbica/projects/ISTAGING/Pipelines/ISTAGING_Data_Consolidation_2020/v2.0/Release_Notes.md

/cbica/home/harmang/for_others/final_combined_istaging_withMUSE.csv

Data consolidated and harmonized in 2026.

This study: subset with df[df.Study == 'AIBL']


Funding
Core funding for the study was provided by CSIRO, which was supplemented by “in kind” contributions from the study partners. The AIBL investigators thank Richard Head of CSIRO for initiating and facilitating the AIBL collaboration. The study also received support from the National Health and Medical Research Council via the Dementia Collaborative Research Centres program (DCRC2). Pfizer International has contributed financial support to assist with analysis of blood samples and to further the AIBL research program. Ashley Bush is supported by a Federation Fellowship from the Australian Research Council. Cassandra Szoeke is partially supported by a research fellowship funded by Alzheimer’s Australia. Alzheimer’s Australia (Victoria and Western Australia) assisted with promotion of the study and the screening of telephone calls from volunteers. The AIBL team wishes to thank the following clinicians who referred patients with AD and/or MCI to the study: Professor David Ames, Associate Professor Brian Chambers, Professor Edmond Chiu, Dr Roger Clarnette, Associate Professor David Darby, Dr Mary Davison, Dr John Drago, Dr Peter Drysdale, Dr Jacqui Gilbert, Dr Kwang Lim, Professor Nicola Lautenschlager, Dr Dina LoGiudice, Dr Peter McCardle, Dr Steve McFarlane, Dr Alastair Mander, Dr John Merory, Professor Daniel O’Connor, Professor Christopher Rowe, Dr Ron Scholes, Dr Mathew Samuel, Dr Darshan Trivedi, and Associate Professor Michael Woodward. We thank all those who participated in the study for their commitment and dedication to helping advance research into the early detection and causation of AD.